Metastatic cancer

Metastatic cancer is a type of cancer that has spread from the place where it first started to another place in the body. A tumor formed by metastatic cancer cells is called a "metastatic tumor" or a "metastasis." The process by which cancer cells spread to other parts of the body is also called "metastasis."

Overview

Metastatic cancer has the same name and the same type of cancer cells as the original, or primary, cancer. For example, breast cancer that spreads to the lung is called metastatic breast cancer, not lung cancer. It is treated as stage IV breast cancer, not as lung cancer. Sometimes when people are diagnosed with metastatic cancer, doctors cannot tell where it started. This type of cancer is called cancer of unknown primary origin, or CUP.

Metastasis

Metastasis is the spread of cancer cells to new areas of the body, often by way of the lymph system or bloodstream. A metastatic cancer, or metastatic tumor, is one which has spread from the primary site of origin, or where it started, into different area(s) of the body.

Treatment

Treatment of metastatic cancer aims to slow the growth or spread of the cancer. The treatment plan will depend on the type of primary cancer, the size and location of the metastasis, the patient's age and general health, and the types of treatments the patient has had in the past.

See also

• Cancer
• Tumor
• Lymph system
• Breast cancer
• Lung cancer

Metastatic cancer Resources
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